You and Me Forever
by Shalla Bal
Summary: This tale presents a different version of events for the latter episodes of Season 3...*very* different! It gets rid of two major character deaths (guess which ones!) and brings Abbie and Crane together romantically while they work to take down Pandora and the Hidden One. Ichabbie Forever!
1. Prologue

**Prologue: War of Nerves**

The music was too loud. He'd thought the decades-spanning selection of pop songs that had studded the d.j.'s output was rather charming at first. It put him in mind of the karaoke nights he and Abbie had so enjoyed in recent months. But that impression had been from when they had first arrived at the party. Abbie had been by his side, the epitome of beauty and quiet strength as always, but tonight there was some strange, nervous undercurrent to her aura. Now he feared he understood it, and watching as Abigail Mills was spun around the dance floor by Daniel Reynolds, Ichabod Crane thought the music was not only too loud, but also obnoxious, overbearing, and bothersome. Almost nauseating.

Abbie giggled as Reynolds twirled her outwards and back in, swinging her hands back around his neck as though the motion was as easy as breathing. Had she been excited to come here tonight, to see him?

The song changed from a trite bubblegum romp to a silky slow ballad, but a tap on Reynolds' shoulder alerted him to a new interruption. Carefully cloaking his true feelings in a way that had become aggravatingly, absurdly difficult recently, Crane asked in his usual cordial tone, "Pardon me, but may I step in?"

Abbie's expression was clouded with confusion, but Reynolds gave a laugh, and said "Of course!," so confident that the next slow dance would be his, and strode off with a clap on Crane's back.

The tension in Abbie's body seemed to originate from her spine; she stood as stiff as she had formerly been relaxed. And as Crane slid one hand into hers and another around her waist, she frowned up at him, analyzing his face, which remained perfectly composed in an expression of complacent enjoyment of the evening's activities.

"What?" She finally blurted, seeming unable to hold the words back. "What is it, Crane? Why did you—" He knew how the sentence ended. Why had he stepped in and ruined her lovely romantic interlude with the ex-boyfriend to whom she'd grown closer of late?

"Lieutenant," Crane murmured in her ear, "Do you remember me telling you that if I ever felt jealousy, you would know it?"

Abbie did what she herself would have termed a "double-take." "What are you talking about?" She asked, looking almost numb with surprise and anxiety, though of course she knew to which past conversation of theirs he referred.

"Meet me inside," Crane said simply, and walked away. Abbie stood staring after him. But only for a moment. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Shine a light**

Abbie figured that the weirdness between her and Crane had started the night Jenny and Joe had come over for dinner. Everything had been fine before that. It seemed like a great idea, to combine a good meal and fun company with canvassing some of their latest ideas about how to defeat Pandora and The Hidden One.

"Who really isn't Hidden anymore, like _at all,_ " Abbie had deadpanned, taking a sip from her beer and accepting a plate of pizza from Crane, who smiled at her with that same warm affection he always shone her way. He was forever taking care of her, ever since she got back from that awful in-between dimension where she'd been alone and terrified for months.

At first, Abbie had been annoyed that Crane never let her open the door for herself, get her own piece of damn pizza. Then she'd seen the silliness of her own pride. Crane wasn't paying her all of this extra, gentlemanly attention because he felt sorry for her or considered her weak now. He had always been there for her, her fellow Witness and closest confident. This was just another manifestation of that special bond they shared.

"Indeed, Lieutenant," Crane agreed, his blue eyes a perfect match for the button-down shirt he'd paired with tan trousers. "He is quite irritatingly overt in his current machinations. Perhaps one of the artifacts recently discovered by Miss Jenny holds the solution for his downfall?"

"The more I look into it, the more certain I am that we can't defeat The Hidden One without first defeating Pandora," Jenny admitted ruefully. "I worked my ass off to find this, for example," she said, placing a small, but heavy golden compass down on the table. "It has the power to take The Hidden One out, no problem. But if Pandora gets the rest of the pieces to her box, we'll never get close enough to him to get the chance to stop him before…" Her words trailed off, ominous in what they didn't say.

"Before he makes sure that all of us, and the rest of the world, never get to enjoy pizza and beer again?" Joe put in, gesturing to the slice of pepperoni he held. "Clearly, we can't let that happen."

Jenny smiled and rested her head on Joe's shoulder for just a moment, long enough for Abbie to feel a twinge of loneliness in her own single status, her romantic dry spell. She cleared her throat and suggested, "Then we have to stop her from assembling the damn box, plus come up with a back-up plan. How can the box be destroyed if she does get all the pieces?"

"Believe it or not," Crane remarked, "I think there is something in the journals of Betsy Ross that suggests a potential solution." He leapt up with his typical enthusiastic energy and went to get the volume he had thought of. Meanwhile, Abbie and Jenny went into the kitchen to get more drinks.

"Soooo," Jenny grinned, popping the cap off of her beverage and sitting on top of the counter, fixing her sister with a knowing look, "You and Crane seem pretty cozy lately."

Abbie laughed, but the sound was a little too sharp even to her own ears. "Don't even go there, Jenny," she said, pointing her finger accusingly.

"Somebody has to go there!" Jenny insisted, hopping down and getting closer to Abbie, urging her, "It's just so obvious that there's something between you two. I mean, it's always been there, sort of in the background, but lately…it's like the chemistry between you guys is insane. Anyone can see it."

Abbie had to force out the next laugh; why was that? "Look, Jenny, just because you and Joe are in love, that doesn't mean everyone else is too."

"This isn't about me and Joe," Jenny persisted, shaking her head. "This is about you, Abbie, because some things are. You deserve to be happy as much as anyone. Look at the way you and Crane act around each other. The way you're always staring into each other's eyes—"

"No we don't," Abbie denied flatly, suddenly fascinated by her fingernails.

"How you look after each other, how seamlessly you work together…"

"Because we're the witnesses," Abbie claimed.

"You laugh at his jokes even when they're lame," Jenny added archly. "You're already thinking about his next birthday present, even though his birthday is months away. You two moved in together, for God's sake! And let's not forget that no new relationship either one of you tries to start up with someone else ever works out."

Abbie was almost struck speechless by Jenny's rant. Obviously that's because it's crazy, she told herself. "Give me a break!" she demanded weakly, rolling her eyes.

Smugly, Jenny slid past Abbie and went back into the dining room. Abbie wasn't alone in the room, though.

Crane stood quietly, holding one of Betsy's journals, in the other entrance to the kitchen, giving her the impression that he had been there long enough to have heard everything Jenny had just said. _Shit_!, Abbie panicked.

The serious look in Crane's admittedly gorgeous eyes had her feeling a little weak in the knees, and she let herself momentarily off the hook of making up another excuse for why he had this effect on her. She'd worry about it later.

Another few moments elapsed without either of them saying a word. Too long, really. It was awkward. Her heart thudded. Her mouth felt dry, her hands a little moist.  
Then Abby thrust her thumb out in the departed Jenny's direction and laughed, "Did you hear all that?"

"I did," Crane admitted, stepping closer and resting the book on the counter. Dammit, he was waiting for Abbie to explain. Why couldn't he just immediately get in on this "laughing it off" business she was so desperately trying to sell?

"She's nuts," Abbie said dismissively, like Jenny's comments about herself and Crane were the most ridiculously outlandish words she'd ever heard, instead of the truest. Well, they rang true to her, at least. She had no idea how Crane felt, but if he didn't feel the same….well, all the more reason to keep her feelings hidden. Not to mention the impossibility of turning this perfect, ideal friendship that was all tangled up with the Witness thing into a romance. If it didn't work out, she'd lose him forever. Abbie shivered slightly, crossing her arms and smiling up at Crane in silent supplication. Just go with it and act naturally, she begged.

Instead, Crane asked, "Is she?" The tone of his voice was neither accusatory nor annoyed, and he didn't seem offended by Abbie's attempt to discredit Jenny's theories. Just like always, Abbie marveled, Crane was sensitive, sincere, and patient. He went back into the other room and left her to ponder the simple question which then proceeded to deprive her of sleep and the fragile remnants of her sanity for several days.

Yup, Abbie reflected a few days later, on the night of the FBI gala, sliding her feet into silver pumps and glancing in the mirror. That's when it started to get weird.

And it hasn't stopped since.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Power and Control**

He'd handled the situation badly, Crane realized soon after uttering the words "Is she?" and suggesting to Abbie that Jenny's idea of them becoming a couple might not be the single most outrageously impossible concept ever birthed. Several days passed, and Abbie made no mention of the incident, but seemed to grow more distant from him. It was a palpable difference, as close as they usually were. Crane regretted his impulsiveness in broaching the subject of his feelings for her, and his cowardice in not doing so in a more forthright manner. Surely, he ought to have simply confessed to her how much he adored her, the depth of the feeling having grown so vivid and powerful of late. The attraction and longing he felt for her had urged him past the boundaries of their partnership and friendship, and that was dangerous water to tread. Yet he had been too timid somehow to speak boldly.

Did Abbie simply not reciprocate his feelings, or was she afraid to act on their perhaps mutual inclinations to take their friendship "to the next level"? Ruefully, Ichabod shook his head, thinking about the self-help tomes he had perused at the local bookstore to try to understand his emotions and what to do about them. The jargon had been burdensome indeed; the answers lacking in an equal measure.

As they went from the best of friends to the chilliest of roommates, with Abbie seemingly avoiding Crane whenever possible, there was still the matter of Pandora and the Hidden One to be dealt with. Ichabod had been correct in recalling a passage in Betsy Ross' journal that was quite useful. She had written very clearly of a compass identical to the old and magic-imbued object recently discovered by Miss Jenny. The compass had the ability to balance out the power exuded by a God so that an equivalent blast of oppositional magic could be shot back at the Hidden One, should he attempt his dreadful plan of destroying the world. Somewhere out there, another object existed which had originated as the companion piece to the compass. It was a magnifying glass, and should light be refracted through it and onto the compass, the resulting blast could obliterate Pandora's Box.

Betsy intimated that the two objects, Compass and Magnifier, had been created with the express purpose of defeating the evil God and his nearly equally powerful paramour. Grateful once again to his erstwhile friend and comrade, Crane worked tirelessly to find out where the Magnifier might be. As he scoured his books, Miss Jenny and Joe inquired of every contact they had in the world of antiquities. Abbie checked in often and provided her insights on the matter, but just as quickly checked back into the world of the FBI.

One night, she didn't come home until past midnight. Crane pretended to be asleep when she came in, did not emerge from his room.

But the next morning, as they drank their coffee in what had now become a silent ritual, he couldn't help remarking, "You certainly must have had a great deal of work to complete last night."  
Abbie's smile was tight and she avoided his eyes. "Danny and I were deep into a cold case. Folders all over the floor, you know how it is. I didn't even realize how late it was when I left. I hope I didn't wake you up when I came in."

"Certainly not," Crane replied smoothly, turning to place his mug in the sink so that she wouldn't observe how perturbed he was. He certainly did know how it was, working with Abbie on a case, digging into fact after fact until the truth finally came to light. Crane knew the excitement and intellectual stimulation of the experience, how close it made him feel to Abbie when they worked together like that, the strength of their bond shimmering and emboldening them to save the day.

"You haven't had much time to assist us with our ongoing search for the two artifacts we need to save the world," Crane said before he could stop himself, with crisp petulance.

"Crane?" Abbie's voice was softer now, more sensitive. She stood beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder. He wanted to turn around, pick her up and sit her on the counter, then show her how much he wanted her. _What an ungentlemanly thought_!, he chastised himself fruitlessly.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around as much lately…"

"Is it because of my inquiry the evening that Miss Jenny made her theories about our relationship known?" He still couldn't meet her eyes, even though he longed to.

"Well…kind of," Abbie admitted. "It just seemed easier to put a little distance between us. I was worried that you might get the wrong idea about why I never brought it up."

"And why is that?" Ichabod asked, turning around and crossing his arms.

Abbie threw her hands up in frustration, struggling to express herself. "I guess it just seems dangerous, Crane. Even thinking about crossing that line with you, I mean, if that's even what you want. We're the Witnesses. That comes first. We can't mess with that, no matter what."

"A fair point," Crane replied, purposely not addressing her unasked question as to whether he wanted to be with her romantically. Let her wonder, the way he had wondered for the last few days. Such pettiness ought to be beneath him, but in the heat of the moment, his frustration with her made the omission too satisfying.

"Yet being a Witness seems to be less of a priority to you than being an agent of the FBI and working with Agent Reynolds." He picked up a dish towel, twisted it uselessly in his hands for a moment, and set it back down again.

"Wait a minute, Crane," Abbie said, and now it was her turn to cross her arms. "Are you…jealous of Danny?"

Crane's laughter was cold and harsh. She'd never seen him act like that before, he knew. Usually, he was the soul of polite restraint, above any form of sarcasm or derision. But when it came to Abbie, it was becoming nearly impossible for him to maintain his facade of peaceful calm.

"Believe me, Lieutenant," He said in a low voice, leaning closer to her, "In the event that I ever experienced feelings of jealousy with regard to you, you would know it."

Ha! Finally, he had confounded her ability to respond with any kind of casual, dismissive words. Instead, she just stood there and stared at him, her beautiful brown eyes wide with confusion and surprise at his unquestionably flirtatious and suggestive tone.

Had he piqued her curiosity as to what being with him would be like? Good.

"I merely ask that you put at least as much care into your role as a Witness as you do your work at the FBI. I hardly think that is an unreasonable request, do you?" Crane almost wanted to smirk, but resisted the urge.

"No," Abbie replied. Her shock and bewilderment shifted to a frustration to rival his own, or so it seemed to Ichabod as she collected her keys and headed for the front door. "I'm going for a run," She explained. "I'll be at the library in an hour, and we can work on finding the Compass and Magnifier."

"I shall be there," Crane promised. 


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Something Inside**

Abbie stretched out and placed her headphones in her ears, completely dazed by the strange conversation she'd had with Crane after breakfast. So many questions rang through her ears that she didn't hear a note of her favorite music even as it blared.

 _He didn't say if he wanted me or not._

 _What did he mean that I would know if he was ever jealous?_

 _Does he really think I don't value our bond enough? Did I_ let _him think that to protect myself?_

She only had an answer for the third question, which was yes, of course. She had run so hard and far from her feelings for Crane, as soon as he suggested that he might reciprocate them, that she had allowed him to feel she took him for granted. That being his partner wasn't the most amazing and fulfilling experience of her life, that he didn't make her feel alive and fill her every day with wonder, humor, adventure, and fun. Abbie felt a bizarre mixture of relief that she'd managed to fool him and guilt for lying so wretchedly by pulling away from him right when fate seemed to be pushing them together. She was afraid to give into her feelings and admit them to Crane, and even more scared of losing him forever by continuing to deny her emotions.

Abbie couldn't relax into her exercise and let it purge her stress like it usually did; every footfall brought another thought of Crane, another paranoid worry that she had irreparably damaged their relationship, another longing that they could just go back to being best friends like before, immediately followed by a yearning to be so, so much more to him.

 _Danny? Oh, please,_ she thought bitterly. How Abbie had hoped that being around Reynolds again, and especially seeing that he still cared for her, would rekindle her own feelings for him. And what a complete and utter bust all of her attempts to get back to how she'd felt, or thought she'd felt, for Danny when they were together had been. Now she admitted to herself that even when she and Danny had been going strong, she thought of Crane all the time, missed him, wanted to tell a joke only he would get, make a reference to a past adventure he would understand. But dating Danny had been so easy, fluid, free of drama. Unlike the deluge of overwhelmed confusion she felt about Crane, unlike the instant and potent chemistry that had existed between them from the moment they met, the battle to control her jealousy when Katrina had returned. Her desire to soothe his grief when he'd had to kill his wife to save Abbie, and the way he'd run away from her then just as surely as she was doing it to him now.

Abbie stopped running and put a hand to her pounding forehead, replacing a stray piece of hair from her ponytail and sighing. No, things with Crane had never been simple. And they never would be. So what the hell am I gonna do? Another question with no damn answer.  
Resolving that a nice, cold shower would heal her emotional woes, Abbie went back inside the house and upstairs to grab a change of clothes. Never thinking that Crane might be anywhere but at the library continuing his research, she pushed the bathroom door open at the exact moment that Crane, on the other side, had pulled it.

His hair was still damp, and he wore only a towel tied loosely and low on his hips. Regarding her with complete surprise, his mouth was slightly open. Abbie felt a rush of heat sweep her from head to toe, unable to repress the intense desire that flooded her at the sight of him. Crane's tall, muscled physique and the way his features shifted from startled to something else entirely stoked the fire within Abbie and she clutched the clothing in her hands as if it could somehow soak up her feelings and protect her from them. There was no question that the hunger exuding from her very pores in that moment found its reflection in Crane's gaze back at her.

This was the moment when self-assured, emotionally unflappable mistress of repression extraordinaire Abbie Mills should have cleared her throat and laughed, "Sorry, Crane, thought you were already at the library," then moved aside so he could get past her. A silly moment such as any platonic, opposite-sex roommates might stumble into every now and then. No big deal.

But it was a huge deal, and so Abbie stood totally frozen and mute.

Crane brushed by her, sending lightning shooting through her veins and bringing the unspoken truth between them up to a fever pitch. "Lieutenant," he murmured sexily, striding to his room and closing the door behind him.

Abbie closed herself into the bathroom and began to breathe again, heavily. A cold shower? Somehow, she didn't think that was quite going to do the trick.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Blinding**

"Crane, can we talk about this morning?" Abbie called by way of greeting as she entered the library that afternoon. She did not realize that he wasn't alone, and when she saw that Miss Jenny and Joe were there, she looked a bit startled.

"What about this morning?" Miss Jenny asked with transparently deceptive lightness.

"Nothing," Ichabod and Abbie blurted in perfect unison. He quickly moved the conversation forward, holding his hands out in a presenting pose to the table before him. Miss Jenny's face shone with pride that Joe clearly felt as well. The Compass and Magnifier lay beside each other, having been polished until they both glistened in the rainbow-tinted sunlight that crept in through the stained glass windows.

"You found the Magnifier!" Abbie exclaimed happily, throwing her arms around Jenny and Joe for a congratulatory group hug.

"Yes!" Miss Jenny confirmed, "But we never could have done it without this guy." She pointed to Crane with a wink and he bowed in his typically courtly manner.

No hug for me? Crane almost quipped drily to Abbie, but he swallowed the words back.

"Why thank you, Miss Jenny," He drawled courteously instead. "Neither could my research alone have yielded us these precious devices. The assistance you and Joe rendered in bringing the objects to us was invaluable."

"Okay, mutual appreciation society, now we're ready to take on the Hidden One," Abbie observed briskly. Crane thought she seemed a little irked at not having partaken in their latest quest.

"And Pandora," Ichabod added. "It would be best perhaps to deal with her first, so that she cannot use her box to aid the Hidden One in his scheme to decimate the Earth."

"Yeah, well, good thing she's not exactly Captain Subtlety when it comes to disguising where she hangs out," Abbie noted. "We know where her lair is, but how can we get the Hidden One to go somewhere else while we go after Pandora?"

The others had no chance to answer before a new voice provided the response Abbie awaited.

"I don't think that will be necessary," Pandora said, entering the room nonchalantly and with her usual bravado slightly dimmed by her appearance of ill health. Her skin was pasty-pale and she looked gaunt and weak. "The Hidden One has taken much of my power to revitalize his own abilities. He feels I have betrayed him by concealing certain truths." Pandora's voice was full of resentment as she sat, uninvited, in a chair not far from where the artifacts lay. All too protective of these precious items, both Crane and Abbie smoothly moved to remove them from her line of vision and access.

"The Magnifier won't be necessary either," Pandora remarked simply. "Or at least I am hoping that once we strike a truce to defeat the Hidden One, you will agree to let me live."

"Wait a minute," Abbie said, "You're trying to tell us that you want to kill your great true love that you wouldn't shut up about five minutes ago?" She rolled her eyes in disbelief. "You're probably just trying to get us to trust you so we can walk into some trap and get killed by you and your boyfriend."

"I must agree with the Lieutenant," Crane put in.

"Don't you always?" Pandora inquired with an observant wink. She coughed a few times in a way that didn't seem all that theatrical. "You may examine me. I am rendered quite weak at present. I am being honest with you."

Miss Jenny approached warily and looked Pandora up and down. "You're obviously pretty out of it. But that doesn't prove you still don't share the Hidden One's agenda. What's with the sudden love for the planet Earth and humanity?"

Pandora shrugged. "I have no love for humanity, but in order to rule, I do need people to cower before me. Without them, what is the point of being…me? What's more, the Hidden One must pay for treating me so shoddily. After I nearly killed myself to bring him back and had to deal with all of you fools along the way."

"Thanks so much," Joe chortled coldly. "So the plan would be for us to team up and kill the Hidden One, but then you expect us to just sit back and let you unleash your brand of chaos onto the world once he's gone?"

"I realize that although we may be on the same side today, this is not going to be the case thereafter," Pandora admitted. "Why don't we simply agree to deal with my one-time love first, and save our own dispute for another time?"

"Absurd," Ichabod insisted dismissively.

"She has a point," Abbie said quickly and at the same time.

"Whatever are you thinking?" Crane asked, approaching Abbie in surprise.

"I'm thinking that we should use every single tool in our arsenal to take out the Big Bad who has the ability to take out all of _humanity_ in one blow. We can deal with Pandora later." Abbie looked to Miss Jenny and Joe to ascertain their stances on the subject.

Joe shrugged and confessed, "I agree with Abbie." Crane's eyes flickered to Miss Jenny, who seemed torn between the potential success of the plan and the impossibility of trusting Pandora.

"I guess everything we do is a roll of the dice," Miss Jenny finally decided. "Why should this be any different?"

"Very well," Crane allowed, outnumbered by their consensus. "We shall assume that Pandora is being at least partially sincere. Where do you suggest that we confront the Hidden One?"

"That is easy," Pandora explained. "He is still in my lair, preparing to begin the demolition of your world."

"You mean you guys broke up and he kept your lair?" Miss Jenny grimaced in momentary sympathy. "That's cold."

"The Hidden One is nothing if not cold," Pandora replied, standing and smoothing out her rumpled gown. "However, we did not 'break up.' He won't have any idea where I've gone or why. I can return to him with some excuse and you can secret yourselves into the lair behind me."

Abbie handed the Compass to Crane and pocketed the Magnifier. "Okay, let's go," she announced confidently.

"What assurance do I have that you will not use the Magnifier to destroy me and my box once the Hidden One is dead?" Pandora asked.

"Absolutely none," Crane replied.

"Then I refuse to participate," said Pandora haughtily, sitting back down.

"Oh fine," Abbie groaned, "As a show of good faith, we will leave the Magnifier here and only bring the Compass, since that's all we need to defeat the Hidden One. Okay?"

"Very well," Pandora agreed, watching as Abbie placed the Magnifier in a locked drawer.

"Now we are ready," Crane said, bristling with foreboding and an uncertainty of this plan's success, and wishing there was a way to sneak the Magnifier along just in case. He couldn't argue with Abbie's agreement to leave it, however, as it was the only way to accomplish what they must this day.

They followed Pandora to the dark and gloomy lair where the Hidden One lurked.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Not for the faint of heart**

The Hidden One paced the lair, a hulking figure intent on wreaking destruction such as the world had never witnessed. Pandora sidled casually in, or at least as casually as she could manage to arrange herself given her weakened state, Abbie guessed.

Drawing the compass from her jacket pocket, Abbie glanced back, ensuring that Crane, Jenny, and Joe followed close behind her. They each carried some other form of weapon in case the compass should fail, but none of them were prepared, despite all of their impeccable and tireless preparation, for the sight that met their eyes.

"Whatever is she doing here?" Pandora inquired, striding forward to where the Hidden One had tied up a newly kidnapped victim to a large rock.

Betsy Ross writhed back and forth with all her might, trying to break the ropes that bound her in place. Her eyes registered fear, but her expression and bearing vowed stubborn resistance to give into the feeling.

"It's not the ropes that hold you," The Hidden One told Betsy, "It's my power. You are nothing in comparison to the might I exude from my little finger. Cease your foolish attempts to escape."

"Never," Betsy bit out angrily, continuing her useless battle against the ropes.

"So, my love, you return," The Hidden One remarked, making it all to obvious that he couldn't care less what Pandora did with her time. Inasmuch as Abbie didn't want to feel sorry for anyone as cruel and selfish as Pandora, it was crazy to think how she'd devoted her whole life to a love who could dismiss her as if she meant nothing once he had what he needed from her.

"To answer your question, I brought Betsy Ross here as she had information that can help me to destroy the Compass these mortal imbeciles plan to use against me. The mortals you brought with you today, Pandora. I also thought it would be amusing to allow her friend from centuries ago to watch as I flay her alive."

"I'll never help you," Betsy proclaimed feistily, as Abbie and the others stepped forward from the shadows. Obviously, trying to hide from the Hidden One was a fool's gambit.

"Release her, you scoundrel," Crane insisted bravely. "There is nothing you can do to force her compliance, or prevent us from halting your evil scheme."

"Oh yes," The Hidden One replied smoothly, "I'll simply release her now. Certainly!"

"He's been here too long," Abbie deadpanned, "He's learned sarcasm."

"Indeed," Crane agreed, "And I think we've divined sufficient insight from his villain's monologuing since our arrival to determine that he hasn't gotten any information from Betsy that will allow him to defeat the Compass. "Lieutenant, would you do the honors?"

"With pleasure," Abbie said boldly, stepping forward and opening the compass, shining it directly at the Hidden One.

It immediately sent forth a bright and stunning light that threw the Hidden One backwards to the ground, where he shook violently for several moments. Then the light subsided and he threw back his head, laughing in his deep and wicked voice.

"See how your own ego and idiocy mislead you?" The Hidden One mocked. "I was able to wrest certain documents from Betsy Ross before bringing her back here to this time. From those papers, I realized something she never did: that the creators of the Compass and Magnifier had coded the instructions with double-talk. The Magnifier and Compass together are needed to defeat me, whereas the Compass alone can only—"

"Defeat Pandora," Abbie guessed, throwing her hands up in frustration.

"You lie," Betsy spat out, enraged, but her eyes flitted back and forth as she desperately tried to recall the details of the papers she'd studied in her own time when she had collaborated with those who had found the precious artifacts back then. Could she have misunderstood the assertions of those papers? Translated their truths incorrectly, backwards?

Abbie knew Betsy was reaching the same conclusion she was, that they might be at a fatal impasse in their battle against The Hidden One.

"Therefore, I've no more need for this pathetic creature. She's served her purpose and now she will pay the price for her role in attempting to destroy me," The Hidden One threatened, rising to stand and facing Betsy.

Crane, Abbie, Jenny, and Joe exchanged panicked looks, then launched into action. They might not have the weapon needed to defeat their foe today, but at least they could stop him from killing Betsy at that moment. Crane launched several arrows at the Hidden One while Abbie shot him repeatedly. Then Jenny and Joe grabbed him and held him down for the brief period wherein the violent blows made him slightly weaker.

When the Hidden One's power temporarily waned, Betsy immediately snapped the ropes that she'd been fighting against and worn down to thin strands.

"My love," The Hidden One muttered, standing up again, "Why do you not rush to my defense? Could it be because you are in league with this pathetic crew?"

He blasted Pandora to the rocky ground, where she shook for a moment before turning angry eyes at him. "My love," Pandora replied, lacing the words with a powerful hatred, "You underestimate me, as always." She turned to Abbie and Crane and told them, "Listen well, you two. It is written that in the event both artifacts are not present, the Hidden One may still be destroyed by their proxy."

Out of the corner of her eye, Abbie saw the Hidden One smash the Compass under his heel. Surely he would not be able to entirely destroy an object that had been created to bring about his defeat, but he could damage it severely, that much was evident. So what could they do with no defense against him that she could see?

"What is this proxy to which you refer?" Crane asked hurriedly.

Pandora stood precipitously and immediately wavered. Then she stepped forward and looked intensely at the Witnesses. "You are." Abbie and Crane exchanged bewildered looks before Pandora clarified: "You, Crane, are the Compass."

"I'm the Magnifier," Abbie concluded, shocked beyond words by the revelation of the power she and Crane had held all along. Just another manifestation of the mysterious and overwhelming bond they shared.

"How do we activate our powers?" Crane inquired, clearly as stunned as Abbie by the news.

"You can't," the Hidden One predicated darkly. "This is a ridiculous lie predicated to give you all more time, to delay the inevitable. I will not be stopped."

"He won't stop talking, that much is for sure," Joe quipped accurately.

"Abigail Mills' light must shine through you, Ichabod Crane," Pandora instructed.

"It always has," Crane said softly, taking Abbie's hands as a shiver ran through her, caused by both his tender words and his warm, irresistible touch.

"You must give into that which you both long for, but refuse to allow yourselves the dangerous indulgence of," Pandora insisted.

"I think…" Abbie pondered, "I think she means…." Her voice halted, again stopped by the paralyzing fear of entering into this unknown territory with Crane.

"This," Crane finished her thought and then leaned down to press his lips to hers. At the moment of their kiss, a light burst forth that shot directly at The Hidden One, while simultaneously Abbie felt a blissful sensation pour over her at the sensation of Crane's mouth on her own, his fingers delicately cupping her face. She wanted more, further, less gentle, but the surrender they'd embarked upon thus far had been enough to enact their abilities.

The Hidden One lay completely still, his eyes aflame with yellow light that soon dimmed out, two pits of smoke filling his sockets. Then his body turned to gray rock and disintegrated.

"This is amazing," Joe said in wonder, holding hands with Jenny as they watched in surprised relief.

"It certainly is," Betsy agreed with a smile, crossing her arms and winking at Ichabod once he and Abbie stepped back from each other. She had never officially met Abbie before but had clearly figured the situation out rather quickly.

"It certainly is," Crane whispered only to Abbie. She turned her eyes to his and let herself indulge further just for a moment in the feelings he aroused within her.

As soon as they almost began to relax, another development occurred. The pile of ash that had once been the Hidden One began to rise and spiral, forming a cloud that twisted and twirled right past the heroes until it landed squarely in Pandora's chest. With a powerful gust of laughter, Pandora rose from the ground and stretched her arms out to accept the cloud's entrance into her being.

"So my love," Pandora said, looking once more immaculate, perfectly coifed, and back to her full powers. See how your ego and idiocy misled you?"

"What just happened?" Abbie demanded, stepping away from Crane and narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Pandora, who looked like she was fresh from a delightful and renewing spa experience.

"I knew that once the Hidden One was vanquished, his residual power would be…how do you mortals express it, now? Ah yes, 'up for grabs.' I conducted a ritual which used up the rest of my own waning prowess, to ensure that once he was gone, I would inherit those powers. You see, he was a God. The power of a God cannot simply be obliterated as easily as you might wish. Now, it is I who am a Goddess. And the world is mine to do with as I like." Pandora smirked at her own cleverness.

"Great," Jenny sighed. "Now what?" She looked around at her friends, who were just as clueless as she was at that moment.

"I think I shall let you ponder that and worry about it a little more, my dear enemies," Pandora announced. "Even more so than my former love, I do enjoy toying with my victims. I can assure you at the very least that we will see one another again….very soon."

With that, Pandora vanished in a flash of impossible black light that left the others blinking in her wake. 


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Never be the same again**

"And this is a computer," Joe explained, ushering Betsy to the desk chair in the library as her tour of the premises and first introduction to modern times continued.

Betsy stared at the screen that read "Google," intrigued. She looked down at the keyboard and raised an eyebrow before typing her own name into the small box. At first, her fingers moved tentatively, but they emboldened and quickened with each letter. She gave a little start of satisfaction when her own image appeared, followed by hundreds of articles.

"I shall see you in a few hours," she told Joe and Miss Jenny, who laughed at her eagerness to learn all she could from this fascinating and, to her, entirely new device.

"We'll make sure Betsy settles into her hotel comfortably," Miss Jenny assured Crane and Abbie. "Why don't you two take some time to relax and maybe…talk?"

Joe grinned at them like he was completely "in" on Miss Jenny's meaning. Crane cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Lieutenant, shall we?" He suggested quietly, placing one hand lightly on her shoulder in a gesture of combined comfort and questioning. Scarcely had he had the chance to share with Betsy his joy at being reunited with her, or his relief at her survival of the Hidden One's attack. Crane certainly had not taken the time to consider how rather nice it might be to have a friend from his own time to confide in about the quirks and challenges of being a person "out of time."

Right now, despite all of these happy developments and even despite the foreboding dread of whatever Pandora had planned, and the need to develop a countermove, Crane just needed Abbie.

They sat down in their favorite coffee shop, where the barista speedily handed them each their usual beverages with their names written on the side, accompanied by smiley faces.

"Lieutenant…" he began, taking her hand as the term of endearment fled all too easily from his lips. "As much as I would like to…pick up from where we left off, as it were—"

Abbie looked down at their hands, then back at him. Her expression was one of nervousness and inner conflict. "Crane," she began to interrupt him, but Ichabod was too eager in his intended speech to stop just then.

"I wish to court you," he finished with a satisfied smile. There it was. "Now that our mutual affections have proved to be, well, mutual, I have lost the rest of my hesitation about discussing this matter with you." Crane felt as confident and happy as Abbie seemed to look fearful still. "Lieutenant, will you not take this leap with me? Will you not see where it may lead?"

"I can't lie, being courted by you sounds pretty…well, fantastic," Abbie admitted. "But every time I think about my feelings for you being so strong that they can be channelled to defeat a God, that someone foresaw that power and counted on it to save the day centuries later? And whenever I think about risking everything we've built between us on the chance that we might work out romantically? I'm terrified." Abbie took a few deep breaths, then nervously sipped from her coffee.

"I share your trepidation," Crane replied, "And yet…there is surely something to that old maxim that 'tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.'"

"I know that," Abbie admitted, looking at him with uncharacteristic near-bashfulness.

His heart beating hard and his own vulnerability on the matter all too clear, Crane said softly, "I will wait for you, Abbie."

She bit her lip and let her fingers finally relax and lace through his. He almost never called her Abbie, and she wasn't immune to the significance of the appellation, he saw with gratitude. Every time he called her by her Christian name, he felt as though she could see right through him and understand exactly how dear she was to him. The depth of a passion he had never dared to reveal to her overtly in its completeness.

"So there's a party tonight," Abbie announced, "An FBI gala to be exact. They're giving out some awards to agents, there'll be music and dancing. Would you like to come with me?"

"Lieutenant," Ichabod answered, glowing with pride and excitement, "I thought you'd never ask." 


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Fearless**

The sight of Crane in his suit with a crisp white shirt, black tie and jacket was enough to give Abbie palpitations, and she couldn't repress a grin as she came downstairs to see him waiting for her with a small, fancy-looking bouquet in hand. It looked like the sort of bouquet you always saw in Victorian portraits of women, with the closely crowded bunch of blossoms dangling elegantly from their fingers.

"Look at us," she laughed, "It's like prom night."

"Lieutenant, you look beautiful beyond words," Crane replied, kissing her hand and placing the bouquet in it.

"Thank you," Abbie grinned, "You don't clean up too badly yourself." She was downplaying it big-time. The truth was that with one more glance at how gorgeous he looked, she needed another cold shower. Or an outlet for all of this desire that just wouldn't seem to let her relax.

When they got to the gala, Crane followed the gentleman's code by immediately heading off to get her a drink and a plate of appetizers. One of the things they had always bonded over was their mutual love of food and drink, and Abbie looked forward to sharing opinions about the hoers d'oeuvres.

"Wow, great dress," Danny said by way of greeting, his usual cool and handsome demeanor on display in his suit. Abbie looked down at her bright, plum colored dress. She couldn't deny to herself that she had wanted to look her best for Crane, and had been so excited for this evening that she and Jenny had embarked on a last minute shopping expedition to pick out the perfect outfit.

"Thanks, Danny. I heard you're getting an award tonight. Congrats!" Regarding her ex now with nothing but friendliness, Abbie found it easy to make light conversation.

"Oh, come on! Mills, help me make this dull night a little more fun. Let's dance!" Danny held his hand out and Abbie laughed as he spun and dipped her. It was so obvious that the romantic feelings they had tried so hard to cultivate and keep alive had faded into a comfortable buddy rapport.

The song changed to a ballad, and Abbie didn't really want to stay for that one with Danny, so her eyes began scanning the room for Crane. No sooner had she thought of her date than he appeared, cutting in with a look of irritation on his face such as she had seldom seen. What's going on with him?, she wondered.

After he told her to follow him inside, she could hardly resist her curiosity, so she trailed him to an abandoned coat check room. "Crane, there isn't anything to—" She'd been about to say "anything to be jealous of" and explain the purely platonic nature of her relationship with Danny.

But Abbie didn't have time, because her back was against the wall behind the coat rack and Crane's mouth was on hers, not tentatively this time, like their first kiss. Now he explored her mouth greedily, then pinned her hands lightly and trailed his mouth down her neck, the enticing combination of his lips and the brush of his beard startling her with the fierce arousal it ignited.

"Abbie," Crane downright growled as his fingers clutched her thighs and wrapped her legs around his waist. Lifted up by his strong arms and held in midair, their height difference never more obvious, Abbie moaned helplessly. His fingers knowingly found their way to the hem of her dress and upward as he held her perfectly in place with one arm. His mouth pressed fervent kisses all over her decolletage, so tantalizingly close to her breasts that she thought she was going to faint. That theory only got more likely as his fingers brushed against her panties, which were so damp that Abbie would have been embarrassed if she could process a thought beyond how desperately she wanted Crane, needed him to keep going.

Then, without any warning, he stopped, releasing her very gently so that she touched down on the floor without tumbling downward as she would have if left to rely on her own wobbly legs. Crane said nothing more as he turned and left her there, practically panting. _What the hell?_

Abbie took a second to collect herself, then her feelings switched from shock to anger, and she launched herself after him. Crane was already heading back to the car.

He was shaking his head in his momentarily solitude.

"Crane!" Abbie shouted, as, naturally, it started to rain.

"Forgive me," Crane pleaded when she got close enough. Her anger started to melt at the sight of his plaintive expression. He wasn't playing a game with her, like she had assumed. "My conduct has been unforgivable this evening. I promised you that I would be patient and place no pressure on you to pursue a romance, yet the first time I see you with another man, I make uncouth advances of which I am thoroughly ashamed."

Abbie just stared at him for a moment and gave a short laugh. She looked up at the rainy sky and opened her arms to its wet embrace. "Are you done?" She asked Ichabod archly.

"Yes," he replied, clearly perplexed as to how she could be anything but furious with him.

Abbie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Crane's neck, drawing his lips to hers as the rain went from moderate to heavy, pounding down on them in torrents.

"Lieutenant…we must get you out of this rain," Crane said when they came up for air.  
He unlocked the car and they sat down, still in a bit of a daze. Abbie ran her fingers over his cheek and said, "You know what?"

"What is it?" Ichabod asked, stroking her back, in as much a state of surrender to the moment as she.

"I'm not afraid anymore." Abbie pressed her lips together, coming to a final decision. "I love you."

"Abbie," he whispered huskily, "You don't have to…"

"I wanted to tell you that," Abbie confessed. "And I don't want to take it back. I want to be with you." She climbed onto his lap and they resumed kissing, hungry for the sensation they had wanted to experience for so long, insatiable in the craving they felt for one another.

"I need to tell you two things, Lieutenant," Crane murmured to her, his voice somehow both playful and dead serious.

"What?" She asked, searching his eyes.

His hands slid from her shoulders to her chest and waist, caressing her sensuously. "I love you, Abbie." He kissed her deeply, their passionate movements causing the horn to beep loudly several times.

"Hey, what's the second thing?" Abbie asked, breathless.

"We need to go home now."

She couldn't have agreed more.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Give me love**

When Crane first pulled into the driveway, he was certain he would be able to maintain his composure. He would suggest that they each go and change out of their wet clothing before reconvening to talk about all they'd finally confessed this evening. Yes, that would be the best approach to the situation, undoubtedly.

Yet when he opened the door and Abbie made to step from the vehicle, Crane simply picked her up as if her were a caveman and carried her inside as fast as he could, unable to wait another moment to act upon his raw, unstoppable urge to be with her to the fullest extent imaginable.

Abbie made no argument, though she caught her breath in surprise before giggling irrepressibly. He slammed the door behind them and somehow, they were tangled together on the soft rug in the living room, their mouths and hands exploring each other more and more freely. The bedroom seemed too far away at the moment.

"Each time I assure myself that I can be polite and restrained with you, I utterly fail," Crane admitted in a voice that sounded ragged in his own ears.

"Stop trying," Abbie demanded, nipping his ear gently and fumbling with the buttons of his damp shirt. He did her the favor of simply ripping the annoying garment asunder, tossing it aside as her fingers ran up and down his chest and belly, his breathing and heart-rate quickening accordingly, along with the even more overt evidence of his desire.

"I am ever your humble servant," He murmured, turning them so that she lay beneath him, finding the zipper of her dress and teasingly drawing it downward, slowing at just the right moment to cause them both additional excitement. He peeled the dress off with more care than he had shown his shirt, having admired the way it hugged Abbie's curves all night, and unwilling to ruin it.

Impatient, Abbie wrapped a leg, still clad in sheer black thigh high stockings and a silver shoe, around Crane's waist, yanking him downward. He laughed quietly and, after another shamelessly deep and demanding kiss, lowered his mouth to each of her stockings, tugging them down a bit with his teeth and then removing them lovingly with his hands, slipping her high heels off so that they hit the floor with a clunking sound.

Abbie's stomach rose and fell quickly as Crane unhooked her black strapless bra and cast it away, running his mouth from her neck down to her upper chest before allowing it full congress of each of her nipples, which were already stiffened and eager for his attentions. She moaned and reached for his belt, the implication therein causing him to growl slightly in response. Everything about his own behavior and conduct was continually shocking to Crane, yet he could not stop now. Would not stop. Possibly ever.

Abbie clutched his upper thigh and pressed him into her as his fingers slid off her panties and she relieved him of his own lower undergarments.

There was no need to inquire as to her certainty that they should proceed with their desires, so completely synched as their feelings and instincts had become. Crane entered her as they both sighed in irresistible pleasure. He held her arms above her head as she closed her eyes and bit her lip before moaning once more as he began to thrust within her, increasing his speed maddeningly slowly, perfectly gradually, bringing them both crashing and burning into bliss before the resulting explosion that ought to have been so predictable left them both shocked, panting in the feverish ache of their passion's ultimate expression. Unbelievably happy, but never sated.

They couldn't speak for some time thereafter, but lay splayed on the floor, their breathing eventually slowing to a normal rate and restoring the power of speech.  
Abbie rolled over and propped herself up on one elbow, resting her chin in her hand and raising her eyebrows at Crane.

"Ichabod Crane, you devilish rascal," Abbie drawled with an amused smile, "I can't believe that just happened."

"Oh, can't you?" Crane asked with an answering grin, sitting up halfway as she ran her fingers up and down his chest again, asking for trouble.

"Well, what about your plan to court me?" Abbie pointed out with false disappointment, "We haven't even had our first real date."

"Perhaps, given the fervor of my desires built up over three years of knowing you, and your own inexcusably forward behavior, I may be granted a 'pass' for a somewhat unconventional approach to courtship." Crane's own fingers grazed Abbie's side, her hip, and she shivered, nuzzling in close to him.

"You know, Crane, you really didn't have anything to be jealous of, just because I danced with Danny." She averted her eyes from his.

"Do you know how foolish I felt each time you would return home late after working with him, or when you confided in me of your hopes that your romance with him would be rekindled?" Crane shook his head. "I felt absurdly moronic in my own, presumably unrequited, feelings for you. Consequently, I fear I may have allowed those feelings of envy, unjustified or not, to build up into a resentment against Reynolds, and a need to inform you of my impatience with the situation that manifested tonight…"

"Oh, you don't say?" Abbie joked, swatting his shoulder and making an accusatory face. "Don't you think I know how you felt? Even if I didn't know you were feeling it at the time, had no idea you felt the same as me until the last couple of days? Imagine how I felt last year, when you were with—" She stopped herself from finishing the thought, guilt inevitably halting her tongue.  
"When I was with Katrina," Crane said blankly, looking up at the ceiling. "Wishing I was with you instead all the while. Duty, as well as my doubt that you cared for me in that way, kept me with her."

"And when she was gone, because you were protecting me, you left me," Abbie recalled in a melancholy tone. "I was so confused. Guilty, afraid I'd never see you again." She shuddered.

"Don't ever leave me again," She pleaded all of a sudden, tipping his chin towards her with one finger so that their eyes locked once more.

"Never," he promised huskily. "After all, Abbie, don't you know why I felt such immense jealousy regarding you and Agent Reynolds? Such heartbreak and wounded pride? It was simply because I am yours, and I wanted you to be mine."

"I am," Abbie replied, kissing his lips tenderly. "I always have been."


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: About time**

The next morning, Abbie furrowed her brow as she watched Crane pour them each a cup of coffee, merrily pluck two bagels out of the toaster, spread cream cheese on them, and set the feast on the table before her. He practically danced his way to the fridge and took out a container of fresh fruit, which he opened and stuck a spoon into before sitting beside her at the breakfast island.

"Thanks," she said, in a bit of a daze all of a sudden, overwhelmed. The events of last night were finally hitting her full-force.

"Lieutenant — that is to say, Abbie," Crane began quietly, thoughtfully, "I cannot help but notice the contrast between our moods. Whilst I haven't the slightest regret about last night's…encounter…between us, your current expression is making me wonder if your own feelings differ." He set down the bagel half he'd been about to bite into enthusiastically before he noticed her nervous, confused expression.

"I don't regret a thing," Abbie corrected him, a grin taking over her features so easily that it surprised her, sweeping her nerves away with the reminder of Crane's warm sincerity, the depth of his love for her that she was still processing, still finding hard to believe. "I'm just a little weirded out. You're still you, I'm still me, we're still _us_ , but now there's a whole new dimension to it. It's like yesterday, everything was in black and white, and now it's in color. I've spent the last three years every single day, all day long, hiding how I felt about you, and now it's out in the open. I'm in shock, I guess."

"Are you fearful that the change in our relationship will eventually bring about its collapse?" Crane wondered, averting his eyes.

"Of course," she admitted, gently tilting his chin back in her direction with one finger. "But I meant it when I said I have no regrets."

"Abbie, if there even _are_ two other people who have ever been quite as intimately connected, as intellectually, emotionally, _soul-entwined_ as ourselves, even _they_ would not have as excellent a chance as we to make this work." He stroked her cheek with his hand, and she leaned as much into his touch as to his words.

"You know, if the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result, then maybe for the first time since we met, we're rising _above_ the crazy," Abbie reasoned. "Not being with you was driving me nuts, that's for sure."

"There's no need to ever feel that way again," Crane assured her, sliding her smoothly onto his lap as her legs encircled his hips.

"What are we doing?" Abbie inquired archly, claiming his mouth with hers for a fiery kiss as she felt him slide their breakfast dishes aside behind her.

"I'm not as hungry as I thought I was," Ichabod replied gruffly, "Or at least, not for food."

Abbie sighed as he removed her shirt and bra a little too methodically, just enough to make her desperation to feel him against her reach a fever pitch whose taste was getting all too familiar and no less potent. As her bare skin pressed back against the counter, her fingers fumbled with his shirt buttons, her brain fighting to complete this simple task as the feeling of his body started to become too distracting to bear.

Her hands traced the lean and defined lines of his torso and arms, trailing down as she murmured, "you're wearing jeans." Not that she hadn't noticed it earlier, but it did bear mentioning. "I thought you hated 'that dreadful contemporary invention.'"

"You'll note that they are _not_ skinny jeans," Crane answered as he kissed her neck.

"Well, you shouldn't even be _allowed_ to wear jeans," Abbie remarked, and it was true. They looked altogether too good on him. She undid the button, then the zipper, and it was his turn to sigh helplessly, tugging her own jeans and panties down and kissing his way from her thigh…upward. Abbie's head fell back against Crane's hand as she moaned and used her legs to encourage him to make her wait no longer for the inevitable. The full length of him was inside her within moments, both of them crying out with the raw pleasure of the moment, their breaths growing more and more ragged as his movements progressed from tentative, exploratory, to deep and insistent.

They stayed wrapped around each other, panting, for several minutes afterwards, until the doorbell rang and made them jump up in flustered, amused awkwardness.

"I'll get it," Abbie suggested, slipping her clothes back on as quickly as she could with almost numb, tingly legs. She finished buttoning her silk top as Crane refastened his jeans and ran a hand through his hair to straighten it out.

"We're not done talking about those jeans," Abbie winked, heading to the door. Jenny stood there raising her eyebrows. "What are you doing? I've been waiting out here for five minutes and it's freezing." Then Crane appeared beside Abbie, and Jenny took in their blushing, happy faces with a heartfelt laugh.

She pushed past them and headed for the living room, dropping into a chair and folding her arms. "It took you guys long enough!"

"Miss Jenny," Crane replied, feigning confusion for the sake of his gentlemanly nature, "I cannot fathom to what you are alluding."

"And even if we _could_ fathom it," Abbie added, trying hard to keep a straight face and failing miserably, "It would be none of your business."

"Whatever," Jenny answered with a grin, "Although you both need to work on buttoning your shirts back up _correctly_ if you want to keep your private lives private."

Abbie and Crane downright giggled when they both noticed the crooked, inaccurate re-buttoning their shirts were exhibiting.

"I hate to bust up the happy mood," Jenny put in, "But we've got trouble on our hands. Pandora has reemerged, and she has new irons in the fire that are sure to cause the kind of chaos only she can bring."

Abbie adjusted her shirt's buttons over her black camisole and shrugged. "I would expect nothing less," she admitted nonchalantly. "Want to fill us in on the way?"

"A superb plan, Lieutenant," Crane nodded admiringly. "I shall procure our coats at once."

"So you guys don't seem stressed out at all that Pandora is up to no good and hell on earth may very well be imminent," Jenny observed, doing a double-take as if she expected their new bliss to evaporate in the face of another grim day on the job.

"This is what we do," Abbie replied confidently, taking Crane's hand as they prepared to set off. "And we do it together."

"Forever," Crane agreed, the light in his eyes making Abbie feel as secure and protected by their love as she was excited to begin again this irresistible and destined partnership.


End file.
